Goons Never Go Out of Style

A recent rash of moonshine deaths in Gujarat got us thinking about the state's failed prohibition policy (PDF). While liquor bans may have some discernible impact in isolated villages, they're doomed to failure in larger regions that are tied to wet neighbors via modern highways. But the black market for legit liquor is only for the moderately well-off; the poor must make do with bootleg hooch, which all-too-often is spiked with lethal amounts of methanol.

Yet Gujarat's prohibition still enjoys